New England Patriots owner used to run a professional tennis team

Before he came to be known as the man in charge of the New England Patriots success over the last two decades, Robert Kraft cut his ownership teeth in a totally different sport. The sport still involved referees, nets, and balls, but it may not have been one that many would have guessed.

In 1974, Kraft was part of an ownership group that purchased the Philadelphia Freedom of the World Team Tennis league. They then decided to move the franchise to Boston and rename the team the Lobsters.

Kraft explained that the nickname was not only to pay homage to a popular seafood dish in New England, but also the popular tennis shot known as the lob.

Founded in 1973, World Team Tennis is a league that still exists to this day with teams in across the United States in such cities as New York, Philadelphia, and San Diego.

The Lobsters no longer exist today as the franchise folded back in February. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Kraft would stay on as an owner of the team through until 1978 and the Lobsters became of the best team’s in the history of World Team Tennis. The future Patriots owner was even able to lure the world famous Martina Navratilova to play for the Lobsters.

Like he has now with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, Kraft had a star player in Navratilova and a top head coach in Roy Emerson.

Kraft credits a lot of his success as an owner of an NFL team to the time he first spent owning the Lobsters. Building a team with a star player, hiring a high quality coach, and gaining control the team’s venue were all implemented into what he does today with the Patriots.

Kraft took what he learned from the Lobsters and applied it to turning the Patriots into one of the most successful NFL franchises of today. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Now he may have got a bit lucky with the fact that his football team has been successful thanks to a future hall of famers in Brady and Belichick. But Kraft’s leadership and stability has been just as important to New England achieving as much as they have since he bought the team in 1994.

Some Patriots fans of today may just know Kraft as the owner of their favorite NFL team. But he had a hand in preventing the franchise from moving to Jacksonville and St. Louis during the years before he eventually took over the team.

So if it was not for Kraft’s efforts and time in World Team Tennis with the Lobsters, New England’s four Super Bowl wins may not have ever happened.

No wonder they could run a professional tennis team; the Patriots are one of the highest-grossing sports teams. Who joins them in the top 30?

Fnatic Rekkles

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Manchester City, $1.92 billion

No real shock when the club own half the Middle East.
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Jankos Cover Image

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Looper

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Froggen

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Arsenal, $2.02 billion

Set to lose half of that when they try to pay these two to stay at the club.
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Boston Celtics, $2.1 billion

It's a shame for a side with such a solid history, that they've only won one Championship since the turn of the 21st century.
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San Francisco Giants, $2.25 billion

The Giants rivalry with the Dodgers is the greatest in baseball of all-time.
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Team Dignitas Imaqtpie

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misfits Splyce

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Philadelphia Eagles, $2.4 billion

Quite simply, the best fans in America. They were also voted the most intimidating in NFL.
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Chicago Bears, $2.45 billion

Must be annoying for Bears fans that they haven't won as many Super Bowls as the Green Bay Packers.
Yeah, we went there.
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Houston Texans, $2.5 billion

How are they this high whilst being the only NFL side to never play in a conference championship to date?
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Los Angeles Dodgers, $2.5 billion

Just the six World Series to brag about.
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New York Jets, $2.6 billion

With their horror season last year, they might not be so high in value at the end of 2017.
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Misfits vs Unicorns of Love

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San Francisco 49ers, $2.7 billion

With the 49ers name coming from the California Gold Rush in 1849, it's fitting they are in the top 10 most valuable teams.
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New York Giants, $2.8 billion

With the best wide receiver in the Draft, Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants will surely challenge for a Super Bowl title which has been missing for six years.
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Washington Redskins, $2.85 billion

Setting the highest ever attendance in the NFL shows the side's popularity. Will forever be flirting in the top 10 due to their fan base.
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Kakao

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Manchester United, $3.32 billion

How a club who have failed to reach the Champions League in two of the last three seasons can still be in the top five goes to show just how many supporters they have in the south of England.
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Barcelona, $3.5 billion

Judging by the PSG performance, MSN will have a greater fall from grace than the messaging software itself.
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Misfits stage

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Dallas Cowboys, $4 billion

Well played Big D. The first sport team to be worth $4 billion, and still without winning a Super Bowl since 1995.
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Adam has been covering the NFL for the last five years and his work has been published by a number of sports-related websites you may or may not have heard of including USA TODAY, SB Nation, and FanSided. In addition to writing for ClickON, Adam is also the Co-Editor of The Viking Age and a writer for The Comeback. If you want to make him laugh, he's always in the mood for a good Manti Te'o joke.